Game 6-8 • Evansville • Tomlinson Stadium & Kell Field • Jonesboro, Ark.
vs. Evansville (0-3, 0-0 MVC) - Friday, Feb. 25, 6 p.m.
Sr. RHP Andy Ferguson (0-1, 11.25 ERA) vs. Fr. LHP Cole Isom (0-0, 7.20 ERA)
vs. Evansville (0-3, 0-0 MVC) - Saturday, Feb. 26, 1 p.m.
Jr. RHP Jacob Lee (0-0, 1.50 ERA) vs. So. RHP Kyle Lloyd (0-1, 38.57 ERA)
vs. Evansville (0-3, 0-0 MVC) - Sunday, Feb. 27, 1 p.m.
Sr. RHP Daniel Wright (0-1, 6.75 ERA) vs. Sr. RHP Cody Fick (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
GAME TIME: Arkansas State will host its first full weekend of baseball action as the Red Wolves welcome the Purple Aces of Evansville. Evansville is still looking for their first win of the season after dropping an opening series at Memphis. Game times for this weekend at Tomlinson Stadium and Kell Field are set for 6 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
THE TEAMS: The Purple Aces are 0-3 after dropping an opening weekend series sweep to Memphis, 13-9, 8-4 and 17-6. The only recurring starter on the mound for the Purple Aces will be sophomore right-hander Kyle Lloyd who took a loss at Memphis and is sitting on a 38.57 ERA. Friday's starter will be left handed freshman Cole Isom who sits at 0-0 with a 7.20 ERA and Sunday's starter will be senior RHP Cody Fick who will make his season debut.
Senior outfielder Greg Wallace leads the squad with a .500 batting average including six hits, four runs scored and two RBI. Wallace also has two doubles and a triple in his three starts this season. Sophomore Chris Pearson is also hitting .500 with three hits and one run scored for the Purple Aces. The big inning for UE is the seventh, they have scored seven runs in that inning during their three outings and have given up 13 to opponents in the first inning during their opening weekend. Wes Carroll is in his third year as head coach of the Purple Aces holding a 57-60 record career record at the helm.
THE SERIES: The Purple Aces swept the only series between the two schools picking up three wins last season in Evansville by scores of 5-4, 7-4 and 9-5. This will be the first meeting between the two schools in Jonesboro.
BATTING LEADERS: Senior first baseman Jordan Castaldo and sophomore outfielder Michael Faulkner lead the Red Wolves with six hits each. Sophomore outfielder Ryan Emery leads the squad with three RBI along with sophomore Logan Uxa. Castaldo is batting .375 which is tops among the regular starters for the Red Wolves. Emery and junior Anthony Hecht are also batting over .300 at .333 ranking second for the Red Wolves.
PITCHING LEADERS: Junior RHP Jacob Lee (1.50 ERA) had the most successful outing for the Red Wolves over the weekend striking out five batters in 6.0 innings pitched. He had only one earned run on five surrendered hits. Sam Jew and Todd Baumgartner maintained 0.00 ERA's among relievers in 4.1 and 1.2 innings respectively. Jew had seven strikeouts against Ole Miss and allowed just three hits and no earned runs.
DOUBLE STEAL: In their first win of the season ASU ASU picked up a 8-4 win over OVC foe Murray State. Red Wolves centerfielder Michael Faulkner and third baseman Zach Maggio pulled off a double-steal against the Thoroughbreds, which was one of two steals in the contest for Faulkner. Faulkner led the Red Wolves against Murray State with three hits and two runs scored.
BAUMGARTNER ON THE HILL: Senior Todd Baumgartner has been viewed as a utility man throughout most of his career, but something he has never done has been pitch, well that changed over the weekend when the 6-1 right-hander took the mound for ASU pitching 1.2 innings to close out the game against No. 13 Virginia. Baumgartner held his own, facing seven batters allowing just two hits and no earned runs.
LEE PRESEASON SBC PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Arkansas State junior starting pitcher Jacob Lee was named the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Pitcher of the Year announced the league last week. Lee also earned a Preseason All-Conference nod.
Lee is the top returning pitcher for the Red Wolves from last season whose pitching staff ranked third in the Sun Belt Conference. Lee had a team-best 3.80 ERA and worked to a 8-3 record including 92.1 innings pitched. Lee struck out a team-best 83 batters and held opponents to a .246 batting average. He owned a 6-2 record in league play and helped the Red Wolves to a 12-2 victory against Troy in the 2010 Sun Belt Conference tournament for which he earned all-tournament honors.
BAUMGARTNER EARNS ALL-CONFERENCE NOD: Senior outfielder Todd Baumgartner was named to the Sun Belt Conference preseason all-conference team. Baumgartner has one of the top returning bats for the Red Wolves and was a 2010 All-Sun Belt Conference selection. Last season, Baumgartner ranked second on the team with 42 RBI and had a .336 batting average. He also had 74 hits, 49 runs scored and 10 stolen bases. In the field, he was nearly perfect committing just one error in 112 chances for a .991 fielding percentage.
BASEBALL AMERICA ALL-SBC PRESEASON: Sophomore outfielder and junior RHP Jacob Lee earned preseason all-SBC honors by Baseball America. The Red Wolves were tabbed to finish sixth in the standings while Faulkner was called the best leadoff hitter in the league by Baseball America and Lee was tabbed as the second best pro prospect in the conference.
TOP RETURNERS: Although the Red Wolves lost its top bat from last year to the Kansas City Royals organization, ASU returns three of its top four batters from last year. Senior infielder Jordan Castaldo has ASU's top returning bat with a .363 batting average from last season. Castaldo had 74 hits with 30 runs scored and 39 RBI. Castaldo led ASU with 20 doubles and two home runs.
Todd Baumgartner was named preseason all-conference and ranks second among ASU returners with a .336 batting average with 84 hits, 49 runs scored and 10 stolen bases. He also was nearly perfect in the field with a .991 fielding percentage.
Michael Faulkner earned all-tournament honors last season after posting a .336 batting average which ranks second among returners and was third last year as a true freshman in 2010. Faulkner has 23 stolen bases last year and 55 runs scored on 81 hits. He also had 25 RBI.
On the hill, ASU gets a pair of hot starters back in senior Andy Ferguson and junior Jacob Lee, who was named SBC Preseason Pitcher of the Year. Ferguson started in 15 games for the Red Wolves and made 16 appearances overall as the Red Wolves usual Friday night starter, he led the Red Wolves starters with 101.1 innings pitched surrendering just 118 hits and 53 earned runs for a 4.71 ERA and is one of the Red Wolves top returning pitchers from last year. He pitched one complete game and shared a shutout. Walked just 30 batters on the year and held opposing batters to just .291 batting average while recording 74 strikeouts
DICKINSON NAMED ASSISTANT COACH: Dickinson brings 10 years of coaching experience to the Red Wolves including four years at the Division I level working as a pitching coach at the University of Washington. During his career, Dickinson has worked with numerous Major League Baseball prospects including 2010 MLB All-Stars Tim Lincecum, John Lester and Evan Meek.
Overall, Dickinson coached 13 drafted pitchers including a first and second round pick while at Washington. Dickinson served as an assistant coach at Montesano High School in 2009-10 where he led the squad to a 21-4 first-place league finish and an appearance in the state playoffs.
Prior to his appointment at Washington, Dickinson served as head coach at Edmonds Community College where he led the squad to a third-place finish in the NWAACC Tournament and a 75-16 record as head coach, including a 40-8 conference mark.
Dickinson also served as head coach at Skyline High School in Issaquah in 2003, guiding the team to a 14-7 overall mark and a 13-5 conference record. He also served as pitching coach at Edmonds CC in 2000 and 2001.
Aside from his work at Edmonds and Skyline, Dickinson has also served as pitching coach at Taylor Baseball, a top youth summer program, since 2001. Taylor took third place in the national AAU tournament in 2001 and in 2002, finished second at the USA Baseball Federation national tournament. During the 2005 summer season, Taylor finished second at the USABF World Series and completed the season with a 59-7-1 record.
A native of Aberdeen, Wash., Dickinson graduated from Montesano High in 1994. After one year at Green River CC, he played three seasons of college baseball as a pitcher at Alabama-Birmingham, lettering in 1996, 1997 and 1998. In 1999, he earned a bachelor's degree in secondary education from UAB.
WREN NAMED VOLUNTEER ASSISTANT COACH: A native of Hattiesburg, Miss., Wren joins the ASU staff after spending the last six years as owner and instructor of Wren Baseball and Softball Academy in Hattiesburg. Prior to that, he was an assistant coach at Petal (Miss.) High School, where he coached the school's hitters to the highest team batting average in school history during the 2003-04 season. Following his time at Petal High School, Wren was the offensive manager and hitting coach for the Baton Rouge River Bats, an independent professional team in Baton Rouge, La.
Wren began his collegiate baseball career at Southern Mississippi, where he was named a freshman All-American following the 1996 season and first-team All-Conference USA following the 1997 season. He transferred to Mississippi State prior to his senior season and earned first-team All-SEC honors and third-team All-America honors as a first baseman following the 1999 season.
Following his career at Mississippi State, Wren was drafted in the 33rd round by the Los Angeles Dodgers and spent three seasons in the Dodgers organization, playing for the Yakima Bears, the Vero Beach Dodgers and the Los Angeles Dodgers during 2001 spring training.
